Deep fat fryer

Claim 2

A frying apparatus wherein a vessel containing cooking oil is to be heated along its side wall intermediate its top and bottom ends comprising, a chamber means mounted on the periphery of said vessel in gas sealing relation therewith and providing a heating cavity, said chamber means including an exterior wall means spaced from and substantially parallel to the adjacent vessel wall and having a plurality of gas inlet openings therein, a gas burner plenum mounted on said exterior wall adjacent each of said openings for communication through its associated inlet opening with said cavity, a foraminous radiant heating element positioned between said exterior wall and said plenum, means for supplying a combustible gas mixture to each of said plenums whereby, said mixture flows through said element for combustion in said cavity to produce radiant heat from said element for heating said vessel.

Claim 3

The frying apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said vessel is generally circular and said exterior wall is concentric therewith.

Claim 4

The gas burner as defined in claim 1 wherein a thermometer is mounted within said vessel and includes a shield means having a generally vertically extending bore and a temperature sensitive element positioned within said shield means whereby said element is shielded from radiant heat and is sensitive to the temperature of cooking fluid in said vessel as it flows upwardly through said bore by convection.

Claim 5

The gas burner as defined in claim 1 wherein said vessel is formed of a transparent glass composition material whereby cooking oil in said vessel is directly heated by said radiant heating.

Claim 6

The frying apparatus as defined in claim 1 including means associated with said cavity for removing the products of combustion therefrom whereby heat by convection is supplied to said vessel as the products of combustion are rEmoved from said cavity.

Claim 7

The frying apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein each of said plenums comprises a generally arcuate member describing an arc of substantially 90*.

Claim 8

The frying apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said means for removing the products of combustion from the cavity includes a pair of gas ducts communicating with the upper portion of said cavity along an arcuate portion thereof and an expanded duct adapted to receive the combustion products from said gas ducts and discharge them into the atmosphere.

Claim 9

A deep fat frying apparatus comprising, in combination, a generally cylindrical cooking vessel adapted to contain heated cooking oil, heating chamber means mounted on the periphery of said vessel intermediate its top and bottom ends in air-tight relation therewith and including a generally circular wall having at least two generally rectangularly shaped arcuate openings therein, arcuate burner plenum means mounted on said circular wall contiguous to each of said openings and having an open side coextensive with its associated opening, a foraminous radiant heating element interposed over said openings between each of said burner plenum means and said circular wall, means for supplying a combustible fuel mixture to each of said burner plenum means, and an exhaust means communicating with said heating chamber means, whereby, said fuel mixture flows through said element for combustion in said heating chamber means to supply heat to said vessel by infrared radiation from said element and by convection from the products of combustion as said products are discharged from said chamber by said exhaust means.

Claim 10

A deep fat frying apparatus comprising, in combination, a generally cylindrical cooking vessel adapted to contain heated cooking oil, heating chamber means mounted on the periphery of said vessel intermediate its top and bottom ends in air-tight relation therewith and including a generally circular wall having at least two generally rectangularly shaped arcuate openings therein, arcuate burner plenum means mounted on said circular wall contiguous to each of said openings and having an open side coextensive with its associated opening, a foraminous radiant heating element interposed over said openings between each of said burner plenum means and said circular wall, means for supplying a combustible fuel mixture to each of said burner plenum means, and an exhaust means communicating with said heating chamber means, whereby, said fuel mixture flows through said element for combustion in said heating chamber means to supply heat to said vessel by infrared radiation from said element and by convection from the products of combustion as said products are discharged from said chamber by said exhaust means.

Claim 11

The deep fat frying apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein a thermometer is mounted within said vessel and includes a shield means having a generally vertically extending bore and a temperature sensitive element positioned within said shield means whereby said element is shielded from radiant heat and is sensitive to the temperature of cooking fluid in said vessel as it flows upwardly through said bore by convection.

Claim 12

The deep fat frying apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said vessel is formed of a transparent glass composition material whereby said cooking oil in said vessel is directly heated by said radiant heating.